


A Mortal Birthday for an Immortal Sorceress

by FaeQueenLulu



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Amumu isn't forgotten for once, Fluff, Gen, Lulu can speak Gnar-ese, Lulu is a precious bean and everyone adores her, Nightmares, Nocturne is a jerk and needs to leave the bean alone, Veigar is Lulu's best friend and thinks the world of her, Veigar is a sap but dont tell anyone okay, lots of fluff, seriously oh my god the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23270872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeQueenLulu/pseuds/FaeQueenLulu
Summary: Alternative title: The day Lulu has a mental break down and her best friend Veigar is there to help while her other best friend plans a surpriseIt’s Lulu’s birthday! The Yordles all gather up to celebrate their favorite Sorceress’ special day.Written in honor of Lulu’s release date, March 20th.
Relationships: Lulu & Gnar, Lulu & Kennen, Lulu & Pix, Lulu/Veigar (League of Legends)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	A Mortal Birthday for an Immortal Sorceress

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to have this posted on the 20th, but... Animal Crossing happened. 
> 
> Special thanks to my boyfriend Arthur for proof reading/editing, and to my best friend Cici for writing the nightmare scene for me. I can't bring myself to be mean to Lulu, let alone even come up with mean things to say to her. My precious baby ;v;
> 
> This isn't my first story I've written - I have a LOT of unfinished Veilu fics, but this is the first thing I'm posting on Ao3. Maybe I'll get around to finishing them someday. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

Secrets. Lulu _really_ didn’t like secrets - especially if those secrets happened to be something everyone but her seemed to be in on. She didn’t understand it! Why couldn’t she know, too?! Everyone had been too busy to play with her for the last _three_ days including even _Veigar._ Who, by the way, had been spending an abnormal amount of time in the Spirit Realm - specifically in Bandle City. She always knew when he was there. Even if the other Yordles couldn’t feel it Lulu could.

Being more magical than the average Yordle, the Fae Sorceress was able to detect magic on a magnitude that the others could not, and was able to feel Veigar’s overwhelming power the moment he entered Bandle City. Sometimes she could pick up on Kennen as well, albeit less so than Veigar. She didn’t understand what was going on, and every time she asked one of her friends, they’d act all weird and make an excuse to leave!

Despite Lulu’s tendencies to explore the mortal realm, and desire to find the Glade once more, she’d magicked a home in the forest outside Bandle. There she had been staying for the past week, simply because she’d felt like it. She had a similar one in Ionia as well as several much smaller, more hidden ones all across Runeterra. Each of them were connected, acting as her own personal portals through the realms; Enter through the door of Demacia’s hidden home, leave through the door of Noxus’.

Lulu was currently wandering Bandle City as she looked for her friends. She knew Kennen and Veigar were both in the city; she could feel them. Why were they there? Why _at the same time?_ As she made her way closer to where she felt their power radiating from, she realized they were in the same area, which only fueled her confusion even more… And it seemed that they were in the direction of Teemo’s house??? What??

Scurrying along in the form of a Squill, she darted around the hustle and bustle of an average day in Bandle undetected. It prevented her from being stopped by random Yordles, or being spotted by her friends. Today, she’d figure out what was going on, with a little squill espionage. She knew, however, that her plans would fall apart if Kennen or Veigar were to detect her… They’d know she was the Squill that was currently shadowing Rumble, and being led right to Teemo’s house. Why was Rumble going to Teemo’s? _Why were Veigar and Kennen there, too?_

Rumble was let inside, so Lulu climbed up onto the windowsill to peek in between the curtains. _Everyone_ was there, in Teemo’s living room. The room was a mess, but it looked like they were setting up for a party of some kind… A party? Why wasn’t she invited? She very quickly found a pair of glowing yellow eyes on a mass of black void blocking her vision, and it made her squeal in shock and recoil away, effectively causing her to fall off the window.

Oh no! Veigar noticed her! She scrambled to her feet, but before she could escape, she found a very small Event Horizon preventing her from leaving. Tiny ears went back as she turned to look up at the Yordle clad in blue mage robes befitting an evil sorcerer. 

“What are you doing here?” The space wizard asked sharply, making Lulu flatten herself to the ground. He didn’t sound happy to see her… In fact, he sounded angry! Golden eyes stared down at her, and narrowed fractionally. “Forget what you saw, and _leave.”_

He… He didn’t want her there?! Did… Did _they_ not want her there?

“I knew it had to be you.” Kennen's voice came from behind Veigar, as the little ninja moved into view. He looked sad… Guilty, even. He’d been one of the ones Lulu had tried questioning, only for him to make a really bad excuse and run away faster than she could follow. Lulu might’ve been a little immature, but she wasn’t stupid, and could tell when people were lying. Especially Kennen. He couldn’t lie to her without having a look of guilt in his eyes. ”Lulu, you can’t be here.”

A thin, squeaky whine escaped the squill as her eyes darted back and forth between the two Yordles she cared about most. They… They wanted her to leave. They didn’t want her there! They were all having a party, and she wasn’t supposed to know about it! Did they not like her anymore? The walls of Event Horizon faded, as Veigar turned his back on her, to face the door. “Go. Do not come back, Sorceress.”

Kennen’s ears flattened against his head as he turned away as well, darting back inside before Veigar could. Lulu watched the two go back without another word to her. No reasoning. Nothing. 

She ran home as fast as she could, tiny squill eyes filled with tears as she ran. Her friends didn’t like her anymore? She didn’t understand! What did she do wrong?! Why didn’t they like her anymore?! Pix was startled by the door to the magicked house being flung open and slammed shut, the paper he’d had at his feet immediately being covered up by the crayon box he’d had beside it.

It didn’t take more than a second after, for the Faerie to realize Lulu was crying, as she ran for her room. He could feel the heartbreak from where he stood on the coffee table. Quickly, he fluttered up and flew after her, to find her face down on her bed and bawling. _“Lulu, what’s wrong?! What happened?!”_

“Th-They don’t like me anymore!” She wailed, though it was muffled by her arms and comforter.

_“Who doesn’t? Lulu, what’re you talking about?”_ Pix asked as he moved to land on the bed beside her, concern practically radiating off the small creature. _“What’s going on?”_

“K-Kennen, Veigar, the others! They’ve been avoiding me for days, Pix!” She cried, “I-I followed Rumble today.. They’re all at T-Teemo’s house, h-having a party! Veigar f-found me, and he and Kennen told me t-t-to _l-leave!”_

Pix frowned at her words, eyes narrowing in thought. This didn’t seem right. The group was throwing a party - with _Veigar_ involved? Veigar hated social gatherings! He hated being around other Yordles in general, with Lulu and Kennen being the exceptions! It didn’t make sense for Veigar to be going to a party… And it made even less sense for him and Kennen both to tell her to leave it. He glanced back towards the living room, thinking of his project. Maybe…

_“I don’t think that’s the case, Lu.”_ The fae said softly, looking back towards her. _“That doesn’t seem like them, to do something like this… You know you’re important to them both.”_

Lulu couldn’t bring herself to respond. 

* * *

She’d cried herself to sleep that night, and wound up locked in a nightmare. 

_The forests had looked the same as always, sprawling and lovely to see. The breeze was soft and gentle, and made the leaves kick up a little, a few floating in the wind. It was perfect, just like any other day._

_Somehow, Lulu knew deep in her very core it wasn’t. The land was silent, even with how cheery the day seemed to be. She walked on however, having a gut feeling she was missing something… Something important._

_Slowly the ground seemed to grow closer and closer, the trees towering further and further over the purple girl. Looking around, she questioned why, catching shadows flickering between trees. Spinning in place, she tried to find the reason - after all, the only shadowy yordle she knew was Veigar! Yet there was nothing, just a still emptiness, an aching feeling of being alone settling in. She turned to run, stumbling and falling, before she picked herself up and took off again._

_Four paws, four legs. Lulu knew she was a squill instinctively, but some part of her questioned how, and why. She had no reason to be one, and she couldn’t use her spells to turn back! What was going on? Seeing Rumble, she felt herself run faster, calling out for the yordle, though he didn’t turn, just continued to walk._

_So she chased, running endlessly, following after her friend, as he continued his pace. She knew where they were going, she could see Teemo’s house in the distance, but it seemed to never grow closer, just further and further away. Rumble’s pace never slowed, and he quickly left her behind, her calls falling on seemingly deaf ears._

_A massive shadow fell over her, making the yordle squeal as she spined to see what it was, looking up, before sighing in relief. She knew those golden eyes anywhere. She was safe._

_“Vei-Veigar, don’t scare me like that!” she squeaked. The eyes narrowed, and Lulu could practically_ **_FEEL_ ** _the sharp frown on his face._

_“Leave, Sorceress,” the voice was so much like the calm tone he’d used the afternoon before, but somehow colder. It felt like ice creeping into every ounce of her being, sinking into her stomach and bringing a creeping feeling of dread. She felt her paws shake, wondering why the air was suddenly so heavy, but so empty, unfulfilling, her eyes wide and fixed to Veigar. What was he saying!?_

_“Forget what you saw,” Veigar continued, coldly, eyes narrowing more. “You are not welcome here. Leave, and do not return again.”_

_“You don’t mean that!” Lulu shrieked, in shock._

_“Veigar, why’re you waiting--? Oh, it’s_ **_her_ ** _. Of course it is,” somehow Kennen’s light, happy voice was twisted into a mockery. Lulu shrunk down. The sneer on his face and cold eyes would better suit Jhin, no, even Draven! It didn’t match the electric yordle one bit, full of malice, hatred and disgust. As if he was staring down at a nasty bug, or some monstrous criminal._

_“Why’re you here?” Kennen continued coldly. He leaned closer, sparks dancing from his eyes and fluffing his fur as they skittered through it like thousands of twisting, rippling snakes through grass. The image alone made Lulu shiver._

_“I-I just wanted to know..” she tried, pitifully._

_“Know what!? You’re not welcome here! Only our_ **_friends_ ** _are!” Veigar exploded, his voice like thunder, rippling and splitting the air. Lulu shrieked, feeling the winds kick up, her small frame nearly thrown into the storm brewing._

_“We are friends though!” she shrieked back. What were they saying!? She knew they were friends, she’d hung out with them so much...opened her home to them if they needed it!_

_The next to speak, didn’t do so with true words. A garbled mess that could hardly equate to any language on Valoran caught her attention, her eyes going wide. Despite what many said, though, she knew what he was saying._

_“No we aren’t,” the voice was neither happy, nor teasing, not the way it normally was. Gnar was usually bundles of fun, always ready to laugh and play with a grin on his face and boomerang in hand. Now though, he stared at a point above Lulu; As if even a glance down towards the cowering squill would be too much effort, his tail lashing in agitation. Hints of a deeper, bolder red sinking into his fur._

_“Even_ **_I_ ** _don’t want a friend like that,” chimed in the soft, sad voice of Amumu, the mummy starring icily down at Lulu, “Being alone sounds better than being stuck with you,”_

_More voices chimed in, Lulu spinning to see each yordle and human who spoke. The voices grew louder, adding to the chaos and making it grow, screaming and wailing its dissent with the situation..._

_Even over the noise, the storm of voices, one echoed louder than the rest. A deep hiss. “Even your own kind despises you. You have no one. You are all alone, and always will be.”_

Lulu awoke a shuddering mess curled around a damp pillow, with an extremely concerned Pix fluttering over her in the morning light. _“I was about to go in there! What in the world were you dreaming about?!”_

Unable to answer her familiar, she could only sob as her mind replayed the nightmare over and over. Why, why was this happening?! What had she done wrong, to make her friends hate her?! She knew it was a nightmare, but it had felt so real! It was so vivid, so.. so _painful_ . Her tiny frame shook as she sobbed and wailed incoherently into her hands. Pix felt something inside him crack, seeing her so miserable. So _broken._ He’d _never_ seen her like this before, and hoped he’d never have to see it again.

The sheer pain and utter sorrow he felt through his connection to the girl made his own eyes well up with tears. He flew down to her and placed his tiny, claw-like hands on hers. _“Lu… Lu, it was only a nightmare… It’s okay. It’ll be okay. Just breathe, Lu…Please.”_

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity of listening to his Yordle companion sob as he tried to comfort her. A loud, thundering knock at the door that could only be described as metal hitting wood, was what finally pulled the faerie away from her. He knew that sound anywhere. Stomach in knots, and a bubbling anger that threatened to rise, he opened the door with a flick of his tiny hand. 

In the doorway, stood Veigar. Burning gold met teary, glowing purple, and widened. “Bug? Are you crying?”

_“Lulu.”_ The tickle of faerie language wasn’t something necessarily heard, as it was felt _._ It was felt down in the very fibres of one’s being - it spoke to the soul, to essence that made up one’s self. It had startled Veigar at first, though he’d gotten used to it over time, and was even fascinated by it. But now, that one word had set him on edge.

The dark Yordle ran into the house, his ears catching muffled sobs from underneath his hat, and it put his stomach in knots. _Lulu was crying._

“Lulu! Are you alright?” Concern laced his voice, the Yordle stopping beside the bed only for a moment to throw his armored boots and gauntlets to the floor, before climbing up onto it. Normally, he’d adamantly refuse such a thing, claiming that if Lulu wanted someone to snuggle with, she should call Kennen, who was always more than willing to. But right now, that didn’t matter. His sorceress was in tears, crying so hard her body was shaking, and she was gasping for air between sobs. She was practically hyperventilating! 

Lulu didn’t answer him, or even seem to react beyond her ears pinning to her head. Veigar bit his lip as he scooched in as close as he could, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. He held her tightly, one hand gently rubbing circles on her back. 

“Shh.. I don’t know what happened, but it’s okay. It’s okay Lu, I’m here...” He whispered softly, glancing to Pix questioningly as the faerie fluttered helplessly in the bedroom doorway.

_“She had a nightmare after returning last night. She was screaming, and thrashing around in her sleep.”_ Pix explained, _“She woke up sobbing, and has been like this since. I can’t get her to calm down or tell me what caused her to get like this.”_

“Couldn’t you have dispelled the nightmare?” The wizard hissed, eyes narrowing at the faerie as he continued to rub circles on Lulu’s back.

_“I could’ve, but I was asleep… Her sobbing getting worse woke me up, and before I could prepare the spell to enter her dreamscape, she woke up.”_

Veigar turned his attention back to Lulu, readjusting her a bit along with himself so he could sit against her pillows and have her in his lap. He practically wrapped himself around her, nuzzling his face into her hair as he whispered attempts to comfort the girl. While normally he would avoid the uncomfortable closeness, he put that aside. He hated seeing her so upset. His little star was _never_ upset, not like this. She was supposed to be his light in the dark, his star. His little sunshine. But there were storm clouds blocking out his sun now. He wanted this to stop. It was almost physical pain to him, to see her so broken.

He continued to try to comfort her for who knows how long, though she did eventually start to calm down. Her sobs ebbing down into hiccups and sniffles as he continued to rub circles on her back. 

“V...V-veigar?” Lulu was hoarse from crying so hard for so long, it sounded almost painful to talk.

“I’m here, Lu.” He softly replied, giving her body a gentle squeeze to help confirm, “It’s okay.”

“I… I-I thought…” The girl hiccupped, arms moving to wrap around his torso, “You d-didn’t… L-like me a-anym-more!”

Veigar jolted up in alertness as he picked his head up to look down at her, golden eyes alarmed. “What in the stars made you think that?!”

Lulu sniffled, not moving to look up at him as she fought back the tears that were threatening to well up again.

_“She feels like everyone’s been avoiding her, so she followed Rumble and found you all at Teemo’s,”_ Pix explained, _“She saw you guys were having a party and wasn’t invited… And then you and Kennen made her leave?”_

“Lulu… Is that really what caused all this?” Veigar asked softly, earning a nod and a choked sob from the sorceress in his arms. Carefully, he unwound her arms from around his torso, and gently leaned her back a little to look at her. “Lulu… Look at me.”

The lavender Yordle sniffled and wiped tears from her face with her sleeves, as emerald eyes slowly opened to meet burning gold. Veigar felt his heart sink even more at the despair in her eyes. Eyes that normally held unbridled joy and adoration for everything and everyone around her. He reached up and removed his hat from his head, before plopping it down atop hers. Emerald eyes widened as she watched the shadows that hid his face melted away along with the golden fire she knew to be his eyes. What looked back at her was a very fluffy Yordle with fur as black as a starless night sky, and amber eyes with a very faint glow. Amber eyes that held nothing but concern and painful worry _._

Long, pointed ears pinned against his head as he reached to cup her cheek gently, “I know… I know that I’m not always the nicest to you. I know I can be cold, and mean, and curt...And I’ve never understood why you’ve insisted on being my friend, but you _are_ my friend. You’ve always been there when I needed you, even when I didn’t want to admit it.”

Judging by the softness in his voice and removal of Veigar’s shadowy veil, Pix could tell it may be better if he left the room for the time being. He felt like he’d done his part and the situation was better left to the sorcerer now.

“You’re very important to me, Lulu, and you can read me better than anyone should ever be able to.” He continued, staring into her eyes, “I’ve let you get closer to me than I would ever normally allow, and you’ve become a living star, in my eyes. If you think that would just.. suddenly change for no reason, you must’ve gone poking around in the wrong mushroom circle.”

Lulu sniffled, ears perking up for just a moment beneath Veigar’s hat, “R-Really?”

Veigar nodded, “Really.”

“Th-Then why… Why did you avoid me? Why did you make me leave?” Her ears sunk back down as she posed the question that had been bothering her all this time.

“Because of a secret I cannot tell you. Not yet.” He softly replied, “But I promise you I still like you. Kennen still likes you. Everyone likes you, Lu. Well, more like everyone adores you. You bring so much light everywhere you go.”

Lulu wiped at her face again as she sniffled, before reaching out and gently petting his fluffy cheeks. She giggled weakly, “You’re so fluffy… I-I’ve never _seen_ you before...”

Veigar snorted and glanced away in embarrassment, though he didn’t try to stop her. His mission here was to make her feel better, so if petting him would help with that, he’d allow it… just this once. “That’s why I cloak myself. Nobody would ever take me seriously if I didn’t.”

Lulu smiled, nodding as she ran her fingers through the fur atop his head. His fur was all matted and tangled, so it was hard to do. He clearly didn’t take care of himself, and the thought made sadness return to her face. “Why… Is your fur so… So messy..?”

He shrugged, refusing to look at her. “I don’t bother to take care of it. No point.”

The Fae Sorceress made a face, before she nodded and moved to crawl off the bed, earning Veigar’s attention once more. “Where are you going?”

“ _We_ are gonna go take a bath!” Lulu stated hoarsely, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at him with a defiant gleam in her eye. She was challenging him to tell her no.

“...We?” He asked, quirking a brow at her. He was glad to see she was starting to return to herself. If only she didn’t sound so… _awful._

“Mhm! You can’t feel good with your fluff all matted like that!” She replied, staring him down, “So I’m gonna fix it!”

“...You’re… Gonna _fix_ it?” He asked dumbly, blinking at her, “How in the…”

“You’ll see!” Lulu giggled, turning to leave the room and gather the stuff she’d need. Veigar sat there for a moment, blankly staring at the door she’d left through as he processed what she’d said. ...Did she just say she was about to give him a freakin’ bath like he was a child? Was that what was going on here?!

He scrambled out of the bed, and hurried to go find her before she could get too far into whatever she was planning. He found her rummaging through things in a small closet, she already had a few towels thrown over her shoulders, and a small basket she was dropping supplies into. “You’re not giving me a bath! You must be breathing Zaunite air if you think that's happening!”

Lulu paused and looked at him over her shoulder, and beamed. “Never said I was! Just that I’m gonna fix your fur, silly-lily!”

“You’re not doing that either!” He replied as he crossed his arms, staring the female Yordle down, “My fur is fine as it is.”

“Oh no it’s _not!”_ Lulu huffed, returning to her task of rummaging through the closet, “It’s awful! It must hurt to mo--” She gasped, pausing in her search to look at him again, “Is that why you limp?!”

“Wha--No! I limp because I have a bad leg! What does fur have to do with-- Why am I even letting you entertain this idea?!”

“Because you know I’m right!” Lulu retorted, going back to looking for whatever it was she was searching for, “And you wanna see if I can do it. Your curiosity is as strong as mine is, and that’s why you’re gonna let me fix your fur!”

Veigar sighed heavily, putting his face in his hand as he shook his head. She was right. Curiosity always was his downfall - it led to him allowing her to become a pest, and then eventually a friend. He’d been curious about her magic, about Pix, about the Glade. She held knowledge and history that he couldn’t get from books, scrolls or tomes. Knowledge nobody but her had.

Curiosity led to him allowing her to freely use magic in and around his Keep, and wherever else she pleased, around him. It led to him letting her get away with a lot of things, simply because he wanted to see what she’d do. What the results of her actions would be. The Fae Sorceress never failed to surprise him.

Curiosity would also be the reason he’d let her have her way this time, too. He wanted to see what she’d do - how she planned to fix the nightmare that was his fur. He knew he shouldn’t let her do something like this, especially on a day like today, but he also knew it’d make her happy… And right now he’d do anything to make her happy, after what he’d seen just a short while ago.

Her croak of “Ah-ha! Found it!” pulled him from his thoughts, his attention returning to her as she dropped some kind of scissors into the basket. He felt a brow twitch at this, but said nothing as he moved to pick the small basket up. If she was gonna try to do this for him, the least he could do was carry stuff for her. He just hoped Kennen wouldn’t come looking for them, though he didn’t know why the ninja would yet. Veigar was supposed to take Lulu out for the day, while Kennen helped decorate Teemo’s house for their surprise. Even though Kennen had wanted to go too, the two boys had agreed one of them needed to stay back and help with the final prep, which Kennen was much more suited to do than Veigar, who was better suited at keeping Lu occupied.

Besides… It was so rare that Veigar would be the one showing up at Lulu’s out of the blue, so he’d known it’d mean more. This, however, was definitely _not_ part of the plan. Then again, plans never remained fully intact with the embodiment of whimsy involved, so changes were to be expected.

And that’s how two Yordles and a faerie wound up at the magicked hot spring near Lulu’s house. She lived in the forest - plumbing was not a thing that she had. Instead, she had a hot spring with magical qualities. Veigar could feel it in the sulfur scented air, where he stood a few feet away from it, as he eyed it warily. How deep was this thing? Was she expecting him to get into that watery pit of death? He didn’t exactly like water, especially if it was deep. Being partially crippled made it rather hard to _swim_ after all - bad enough he had to employ gravity spells to allow himself to even _stand_.

Lulu cleared her throat, snapping his attention to her once more. She’d set the supplies down on a large rock, and was now standing there with her arms crossed and weight shifted to one foot as she looked at him expectantly. 

“...What?” He asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

She motioned to him with one hand, and then to the spring. “I need your fur to be wet. ‘Sides, this spring has healing magic. It could help your leg!”

He looked to the spring, and then back to her, straightfaced. “I’m not getting in that.”

“Yes you are!” Lulu croaked, “In you get!”

“No, I’m not.” He glared at her defiantly, even as the breeze blew a leaf right into the fur on his head and got it stuck, “You can’t make me, either.”

_“Aw, is Veigy afraid of a wittle spring?”_ Pix teased, snickering as he watched the leaf flick about lazily, _“C’mon, it’s not so bad!”_

“I’m not _afraid._ ” Veigar snapped, “I’m just not going in it.”

“If you’re gonna be that way, you leave me no choice!” Whimsy incarnate declared, as she approached the dark mage. If he wasn’t gonna get in on his own, she was gonna make him. And thus, the struggle of Lulu trying to wrestle the larger Yordle into a very hot pool of water, began. Pix thought it was probably one of the funniest things he’d ever seen, witnessing Veigar flail about like a cat in a child’s arms as he tried to escape from Lulu without using magic. 

“Unhand me, sorceress!” Veigar screeched as he wiggled about in her grasp, being slowly dragged towards the magic spring, “Mutiny! Respect your evil overlord’s personal space!”

“Then get in the spring!” Lulu hoarsely cried, struggling to drag the struggling, still fully robed and armored warlock.

“I will not!”

“Then too bad! Stop being a stubborn Krug!” 

“Lulu!”

Lulu had been about to reply, when her foot hit the edge of the rocks lining the spring and she slipped, pulling Veigar with her down into the hot water with a cry of surprise from both Yordles. Panic surged through the dark Yordle as he quickly tried to right himself in the water. Luckily for Veigar the water wasn’t as deep as he’d feared where they’d fallen in. He could have his head above water and still have his feet touch the bottom, he’d very quickly found out. The water was darker just a few steps away, however, and he knew that meant it was deeper.

Lulu’s probably painful, yet happy, laughter made him turn to her, scowling… Which only made her laugh harder. Now his robes were soaking wet, and his armor as well! “Lovely. My armor will rust now.”

“Pff, naahhh!” The girl scoffed, “It’ll be fine! I can dry ‘em off real fast! Y’gotta take ‘em off anyway.”

Veigar grumbled in protest, even as he did as told. She better not let his gear be ruined! As each thing was removed, he set them on the rocks around the spring, and then Pix would move them further away to dry. While he did that, Lulu had climbed out and sat on the ledge, grabbing the basket of supplies.

“Fine. What now?” He sighed, looking to her unhappily. She pointed to the spot directly in front of her, so he did as told and moved to stand there, his back against her knees. She’d grabbed some kind of potion from the basket - it smelled like some kind of flower, as she poured some on his head and began working it into his fur.

It was a type of shampoo Lulu had created for use in the spring; it wouldn’t contaminate the waters since it was almost colorless, and completely natural. It, along with an enchanted brush she’d brought, would help her work through the knots in his fur enough for her to trim it. Pix used his magic to keep fur from falling into the spring. It didn’t take Lulu long to realize that it was really only the fur on his head that was a mess, as the rest of what she could see above water was thick, but _short fur,_ and was well enough kept that it didn’t need her attention.

“Why’s it only the fur on your head that’s all icky?” She asked, the spring having worked it’s magic on her throat and returned her voice to normal.

“Longer fur elsewhere kept getting caught in my armor.” He muttered, eyes closed as he let Lulu work, “My head fur doesn’t matter ‘cause no armor there.”

“Don’t you like being all fluffy though?” She asked, “I like that you’re fluffy! It’s really cute!”

“I am _not_ cute!” Veigar screeched indignantly, “How dare you!”

“You are though!” Lulu whined, “You’re so fluffy, and your eyes are so big! I never woulda thought they’d look like that! I just wanna hug and cuddle you, you’re so _fluffy!”_

“Save it for Kennen.” Veigar sighed. He knew better than to argue with her - if she found something cute, she’d argue about it until she won. “You know that’s not my thing.”

“But why not?” Lulu asked, head tilting some as she continued to work, “You never explained that…”

“I don’t like physical contact.” He quietly replied, “More often than not, it hurts.”

This information alarmed Lulu enough she quickly removed her hands from his head, “It hurts?!”

Veigar chuckled softly, “That didn’t. You can keep going.”

“Why does it hurt?” The she-Yordle asked as she resumed her work, ears going back. She didn’t like that he possibly dealt with a lot of pain.

“I’ve been through a lot, Lulu. I’ve seen and been subjected to things that would drive weaker beings to insanity, or even kill them.” He muttered, “I’ve seen the rise and fall of tyrants, wars that ravaged the realms, eras beginning and ending. For a vast majority of it, Yordles were despised. Hunted. Treated as monsters, or prizes.”

“While you were safe in the Glade, I witnessed hell on Runeterra. Went through it.” He continued, Lulu listening intently to what he had to say, “I was captured, once. A Noxian tyrant by the name of Mordekaiser. He’s… the reason I am the way I am now.”

“What do you mean?” Lulu asked quietly, “What happened?”

“He made me enchant his armor, his citadel - the Immortal Bastion. He made me use my magic in ways it wasn’t meant to be used. It… It tainted my magic. Tainted me and weakened my body, corrupted it. Twisted it.” He sighed heavily, ears lowering, “I was trapped there for… I don’t even know how long. I forgot who I was. What I was. I forgot everything that wasn’t… Torment. I forgot everything that wasn’t evil.”

His eyes opened, and he turned to face her, for a moment. A small smile cracked his face, making Lulu gasp softly. He was smiling! She was actually seeing him _smile!_

“You changed that.” He said softly, “You helped me remember who I was. You showed me the way back to Bandle City. You’ve been helping me recover, without even knowing it, just by being you.”

Lulu smiled warmly, emerald eyes shining. “Really?”

“Mhm, little star.” He turned away from her again, to let her resume working on the tangled mess that was his head, eyes closing once more. “Fun fact… Three of the four spells you see me use the most are celestial magics. Well… _Corrupted_ celestial magic.”

“Celestial… Like, as in the stars?”

“Mhm. My magic comes from the stars. They give me strength.” He replied, “The stars… They hold a wisdom many could never even seek. They’ve been there since the beginning. They have stories to tell; stories of guidance, of rises and falls, of hope, and so much more.”

Lulu couldn’t help but smile, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. She was getting to see a whole new side of Veigar; one of her dearest friends. He’d never been willing to talk about his past before, or explain his magic’s origins, or anything else. She’d always accepted him whether she knew about the past or not. 

The day had started out so terribly, but was becoming a very good day despite that. She felt like it was her birthday or something, getting the gift of Veigar opening up to her like this. It’d been the best gift she could ever ask for!

“I guess that’s why you have a lot of magic star stuff, huh?” She mused, earning a chuckle from him.

“Heh… My strength may come from space itself, but it also fascinates me.” He replied, “I chose to learn celestial magic in the first place, _because_ I was fascinated. My love for the stars made me want to learn to harness their power, to hold them in my hands, to reach these otherworldly beings I didn’t deserve to have contact with but wanted anyway. My magic used to be _beautiful._ ”

“It can be again, you know.” Lulu softly replied, “You just gotta try. I know you can do it!”

He chuckled again, as Lulu finished messing with his fur, for the moment. “I know, little star. You always have.”

Little star. There’s that nickname again. He’d called her that a few times before today, though she never knew why. It had started one night after she, Tristana and Kennen had been singing various songs for the majority of the night when most of the group had gathered together for some much needed socializing at a tavern in Bandle. Veigar hadn’t gone, but Kennen had told him about it, and how good of a singer Lulu was… So she’d assumed it was because of that.

But now… Now she had a feeling it _wasn’t_ because of tavern karaoke he hadn’t seen. She didn’t understand what it meant, but she had a good feeling that it was very important, now. 

“Rinse your head off.” She instructed, looking up to the sky. It was starting to get dark - the sun was beginning to set. How long had they been out there? How long had she been in bed sobbing, haunted by her nightmare? She frowned, ears lowering. The day would be over soon, and that meant Veigar would go home, and be back to being secretive. Back to locking her out. At least she’d learned a lot today.

Veigar did as told, dipping his head below the water and running his fingers through his trimmed head-fluff. It felt so much smoother now. She’d not only washed it really well, but brushed and trimmed it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anything like that done. He honestly felt a lot better, just from that.

“The sun is setting.” Lulu said quietly, “The whole day went by so fast.”

Veigar looked to the sky as well, though he’d seemed alarmed. They were gonna be late! “Oh stars, Lulu! I nearly forgot, I have something to show you!”

“...You have _more_ to show me?” The sorceress asked, looking down to the Yordle in the water with wide eyes, “More than your face?”

“I hadn’t intended to show you my face today at all, actually.” Veigar replied, a tall ear flicking as he glanced away, “But I do need to get out of here, y’know.”

“Oh! Right!” Lulu squeaked and got up from the ledge, before holding her hands out to him, “I can help you out.”

Veigar bit his lip, glancing to the ledge, before back up at her. Could he get out, without help? He moved to the ledge, wanting to try on his own first. Placing his hands on the rocks, he struggled to lift himself out of the water to crawl up onto the grass, but he could only manage to get himself about half way out, before pausing to simply hang there and catch his breath.

Lulu frowned, watching him struggle to pull himself from the spring. She realized rather quickly, why it was so hard for him. His arms and legs didn’t… Look right. She wasn’t sure what it was, but they were just… _Weird._ She’d never seen him without his armor on before, and had always assumed he was like any other Yordle, though being a mage, had less than average strength. But this… Not only did he have significantly less strength than the average Yordle, his limbs were slightly disfigured. It wasn’t noticeable with his light armor on, but without it… It was _painfully_ obvious.

The lavender Yordle moved to help him out of the spring the rest of the way, and to his feet. It was easy to tell now, how weak and unsteady his malformed legs were. Veigar truly was crippled, she realized. And yet, despite that, he was the strongest person she knew, and there was no-one she respected more than him. This realization, only further solidified it.

Veigar wobbled where he stood, leaning against Lulu weakly. “I need to dry off and get my armor back on.”

“I can do that.” She softly replied, watching as the water that clung to both of them seemed to evaporate without a trace. “There we go! C’mon, your armor’s over there.”

She led him to the spot Pix had set his things, which were already dried and looked brand new. Seemed Pix had fixed up his armor and robes, while the faerie waited, and was now asleep on the brim of Veigar’s hat.

Veigar refused to look at her at all, as he put his clothing back on. He was embarrassed and ashamed she’d seen the sorry state his body was in. He didn’t want to look at her, to see the pity she undoubtedly held for him. Without his magic, and his enchanted armor, he was nothing but a helpless cripple, forced to rely on others… Now she knew, and he doubted she’d still admire him, knowing he wasn’t the all-powerful warlock he claimed to be.

He steadied out once his armor was on, and he no longer needed to rely on Lulu to keep him upright. He threw his robes on quickly after that, and all that was left was his hat, which he stared down at. If he moved it, it’d wake Pix. Carefully, he picked the hat up and slowly moved it onto his head, hoping that if he didn’t jostle the hat too much, the faerie wouldn’t wake up. He was feeling rather soft hearted at the moment, after all.

Lulu smiled and magicked the towels they didn’t need, and the basket of supplies, back to her house. She’d deal with them later. When she turned to the dark mage, she was saddened to see that his face was once again obscured by magic. An arm went around Veigar’s, lightly holding onto him. “So! What’d’ya wanna show me?”

“It’s quite the walk from here, and we’ll be late otherwise, so..” He held his free hand out, and opened a portal. Lulu couldn’t see what was on the other side, for the portal itself was like looking into a void of nothingness. It gave her an uneasy feeling, though she knew she’d be safe. She’d always be safe with Veigar, even if he had never wanted her to believe that in the first place.

Veigar led her through the portal, and into Bandle City. Even with the sun setting, the town was still very much awake with many Yordles going about their daily business. Lulu looked around in surprise and confusion. Why were they in Bandle? She shook her head some as Veigar led her along, before turning her attention to him.

“So… If you didn’t plan on showing me your face… Why did you?” Lulu asked quietly, head tilting curiously as she looked at him.

Veigar chuckled, rolling his eyes beneath the golden fire. He knew she’d ask eventually. “You were upset. I didn’t know what else to do, bar the things you constantly pester me for.” His words might’ve been a little teasing, but his voice was gentle, “I might be evil, but I don’t like seeing you upset. I wanted to fix it.”

Lulu’s eyes softened, and she gently leaned her head on him as they walked. “You’re not evil, Veigar. Mean, but not evil.”

“Of course I’m evil!” Veigar huffed, though there was no force behind it. He didn’t have the strength to put the facade back up entirely just yet. Letting himself be so vulnerable had thoroughly drained him.

“You do mean things a lot… But you do more good than bad.” Lulu softly replied, “Like when you broke into Ziggs’ lab in Zaun and stole the bomb he made from your magic… You said he could wipe Zaun off the map with it, if you didn’t take it. You saved them, Veigar.”

The warlock sighed, chuckling quietly. He knew she was right - he did a lot of bad things for good reasons, many of which he denied the existence of until Lulu started shining her light on him in full force. In his mind, a lot of the bad things he’d done were evil… When in reality, a majority of it had positive effects for (most of) those affected.

He toppled evil wizards in Noxus that tormented the people, and absorbed their power. He killed rabid murk wolves that got too close to the village near his tower; the tower whose previous master he’d struck down like all the other evil wizards he’d faced. He chased away bandits. He destroyed fields of the village, with crops growing in them, only for the villagers to fix it and have an even more bountiful harvest afterward. The people of Boleham silently hailed him as a hero, while outwardly playing along with his claims of villainy. He liked to think they feared him, but deep inside, he knew he was their hero.

“Don’t tell anyone about any of my… heroics.” Veigar teased, “I’d be ruined.”

Lulu giggled and grinned at him, “You know your secrets are safe with me. Everyone’s secrets are.”

“I know, little star.” He quietly replied, eyes trained ahead. He could see Teemo’s house - it’d only be another few minutes or so before Lulu got the answers she’d wanted. He cleared his throat. It was time to put the facade back on. “Let go now. I have an image to uphold, y’know.”

“Aw… Okay.” Lulu let go and straightened herself up, now becoming aware of where they were going. She could feel Kennen ahead, too. “We’re going to Teemo’s house?”

“We are.” He replied, making himself straighten up a little more as well, holding his head high. It was time to pretend he hadn’t just spent the entire day being a ball of mush for the Fae Sorceress, though he suspected they already knew she’d warmed his cold heart… After all, she was the glue that held the ragtag group of Yordles together. They all knew the influence she held over the hearts of others.

The windows of Teemo’s house were dark, and the curtains were drawn. Lulu’s brows knit together in confusion as she looked up at the building. Why were they here? Was nobody home? Veigar pushed her gently, urging her to walk in front of him. “It should be open.”

She glanced back at him, befuddled by the situation, though she reached for the door handle and pushed it open. In that instant, the lights all flicked on as all friends that had been avoiding her popped out of hiding places, simultaneously yelling “HAPPY BIRTHDAY LULU!” and startling the daylights out of the girl.

She’d jumped with a squeak, looking around in shock, before a screech of “OH MY GOSH!” erupted out of her as she ran inside, being tackle-hugged by Kennen. “Guys!!”

“You wanted a birthday party like the humans, right?!” Kennen excitedly asked as he let go of her, bouncing excitedly from foot to foot as he spread his arms wide in gesture to the room, “Surprise!”

Lulu looked around the room in awe, it was decorated with streamers and sparkles, and everyone had on little colorful, pointy hats with sparkly poms on the tips. All her Yordle friends were there! Poppy, Tristana, Teemo, Ziggs, Rumble… Even Heimerdinger, Fizz and Corki were there! Not to mention Kennen, and Veigar, too. A big mass of fur tackled her from behind and nearly knocked her down, though she’d managed to catch herself as furry orange arms and legs snaked themselves around her neck and torso from behind.

“Looploop!” The wild Yordle cheered from her back. It didn’t take Lulu’s Gnar-ese ability to know he was trying to say her name. Lulu burst into giggles and reached back to pet the primitive Yordle as he nuzzled his face against her cheek, leaning over her shoulder to do it.

“Hi Gnar!” Lulu squealed, trying to pull him off her back and hold him instead. She was small, but he was smaller, so she could hold the fox Yordle with ease - granted that he stopped squirming. 

“Looploop hagga bafada!” Gnar cheered now that he was in her arms, snuggling close as he could and nuzzling his face into her neck.

Lulu giggled and nuzzled him back, “Thank you.” She looked around at everyone’s grinning faces, beaming as she did, “Thank you, everyone!”

While Yordles weren’t born like most creatures, they didn’t typically celebrate the days they came into existence the way mortals did. Every day was a celebration, for a Yordle. However, after spending time among mortals, and seeing their traditions, Lulu wanted a mortal birthday party, just once. Records of each Yordle’s creation day were kept, similarly to that of mortals, and her friends had investigated to find out that _her_ creation day so happened to be the mortal day of March 20th.

Time flows differently in the Spirit Realm, after all. Time had no meaning there, so they often marked it by the flow of mortal time - if they cared about it at all, that is. And since many of them in their little group lived in the mortal plane, in the past or present, they couldn’t help themselves. It had been Kennen, however, that had started the whole thing and rallied everyone together, to celebrate the one and only Fae Sorceress. He’d been the only one to know she’d wanted a mortal party, after all!

“Oh, Lulu, here.” Teemo came over, holding out an envelope with her name on it, “It’s from Amumu. I went to Shurima to find him, and he told me it’d be too dangerous to be here in person, so he gave me this to give to you.” 

Lulu magicked the envelope open, and Gnar held the papyrus letter for her to read, since her arms were a bit busy holding him.

_“Lulu,_

_I’m sorry I can’t be there in person, I didn’t want to risk touching anyone._

_Thank you for being my friend, and I hope your creation day is as amazing as being your friend is. You deserve it._

_With love, Amumu”_

Lulu sniffled, her eyes misting over as she looked around at her friends once more. How could she have ever thought they didn’t like her anymore? She felt bad for doubting them all. She felt Gnar’s hands on her face, pulling her back into the present as she looked down at him.

“Looploop no ka!” He chided, making her realize she’d started crying again. Veigar had snapped to her side in an instant, having realized it himself, alarmed. Why was she crying now?! This was supposed to be a good thing!!

She laughed softly, and smiled. “I’m okay. They’re happy tears!” 


End file.
